Manchester United breezed into the EFL Cup quarter-finals with a 5-2 win over Leicester City, as Ruud van Nistelrooy's first game in interim charge ended in victory.

Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday with assistant Van Nistelrooy stepping into a caretaker role, with United expected to soon appoint Sporting's Ruben Amorim as their permanent boss.

Van Nistelrooy's tenure got off to an encouraging start with Casemiro's long-range finish into the top-right corner after just 15 minutes, before Alejandro Garnacho scored from Diogo Dalot's cross 13 minutes later.

Bilal El Khannouss scrambled a strike past Altay Bayindir to reduce the arrears in the 33rd minute, though Bruno Fernandes restored the hosts' two-goal advantage with a deflected free-kick effort soon after.

Casemiro then hammered home a rebound from close range just three minutes later, before Conor Coady again reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time when capitalising on a loose ball to convert.

Fernandes doubled his own tally and extended United's lead just past the hour, rounding Danny Ward to cap the rout following a poor pass backwards by Caleb Okoli.

Data Debrief: Familiar failure for Foxes

Van Nistelrooy was always expected to have the Old Trafford crowd on side, owing to his playing days at the club, and Leicester struggled to get going at a place they have struggled in recent times.

The Foxes have now lost 12 of their last 15 away games at United in all competitions (won one, drawn two), while the Red Devils have managed seven victories in their last eight home games in this competition (lost one).

It proved to be a convincing win as well, with United accumulating 2.95 expected goals (xG) to Leicester's meagre 0.99.

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United used Brentford's "unfair" opener as fuel after they fought back for a vital 2-1 Premier League victory at Old Trafford.

United appeared to be heading for another demoralising loss when Ethan Pinnock headed home in first-half stoppage time, amid fury from United's players and fans.

The Red Devils were forced to defend the corner with 10 men as defender Matthijs de Ligt was ordered off the pitch for treatment after bleeding from his head – the result of an earlier collision with Kevin Schade.

While rules say players cannot be allowed to continue while bleeding, Ten Hag was incensed by referee Samuel Barrott asking him to leave the field.

"We didn't know why the referee brought one of our players in a critical moment off the pitch," he told BBC Match of the Day. 

"It was dry blood – it happened before. Then in a critical moment on a corner for them, which is their strength, they bring one of our best headers off and Brentford benefit from it."

However, he hailed United's powers of recovery as second-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund fired them to just their third Premier League win of the season.

"We are happy to win the game. At United, you have to win games but also to bring entertainment," the Dutchman continued. 

"I think for everyone it was an enjoyable game. Especially the way it happened, when you concede an unfair goal. 

"In the second half, we showed we are together, we showed determination and we scored two beautiful goals.

"Everyone was angry. We took that as fuel. We showed with a quick start in the second half that we wanted to put things right and we did with two beautiful goals."

Scored just 89 seconds after the restart, Garnacho's goal was United's quickest after half-time in a Premier League match since October 2022 (Fred versus Tottenham, 76 seconds), and their earliest leveller after the break since February 2014 (Robin van Persie versus Stoke City, 87 seconds).

United have now won all four of their home Premier League games against Brentford, meanwhile, only facing Wigan Athletic (eight), Birmingham City and Portsmouth (seven each) more often at Old Trafford while boasting a 100% win ratio.

Manchester United got their Europa League campaign off to an underwhelming start as FC Twente fought back to draw 1-1 at Old Trafford.

Christian Eriksen opened the scoring on Wednesday with a fine finish beyond Lars Unnerstall, before giving the ball away cheaply to allow Sam Lammers to ensure a share the spoils at Old Trafford. 

The hosts almost found themselves a goal behind early on when Lammers failed to turn home Bart van Rooij's inviting delivery with Andre Onana well beaten. 

But Erik ten Hag's side took control and got the goal their dominance merited, with Eriksen rifling a fierce strike into the roof of the net for only his sixth United goal. 

However, against the run of play, the visitors drew level when Eriksen turned into trouble, with Lammers picking the Dane's pocket before finishing at the near post. 

Twente had their goalkeeper to thank in preserving their point late on, with Unnerstall producing a remarkable save to keep out Harry Maguire's deflected header. 

Data Debrief: United's European struggles continue

While Eriksen endured an indifferent game at Old Trafford, the midfielder became the third Danish player to score for the Red Devils in major European competition, along with Peter Schmeichel and Rasmus Hojlund, on his 100th European appearance. 

However, United have now failed to win their opening major European match in each of the last four seasons, losing in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 and now drawing on Wednesday.

Ten Hag's side have also struggled when scoring the first goal in Europe, winning just one of their last six matches in the Champions League and Europa League when opening the scoring. 

Chris Woakes led the way as England took control on day one of their first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.

The tourists showed some fight as the day drew to a close before being bowled out for 236, but England's turn with the bat was cut short due to bad light.

Sri Lanka got off to the worst possible start as England ripped through them 6-3 in the first seven overs, with Woakes (3-32) getting a double-wicket maiden, dismissing Nishan Madushka and Angelo Mathews.

Shoaib Bashir (3-56) kept up the pace after lunch, as Sri Lanka slumped to 113-7, but they soon found their footing.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva dug deep, racing to 74 off 84 balls, while Milan Rathnayake added 72 before Bashir dismissed them both. Stand-in captain Ollie Pope then ran out Vishwa Fernando to end Sri Lanka's innings.

With the light already poor, Sri Lanka were forced to open the bowling with spin - Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence moved to 22-0 before the umpires intervened, leaving 12 overs unbowled. 

Data Debrief: Pope makes strong start

Pope is the 82nd man to captain England in Test cricket, and the 12th this century. Despite losing the coin toss, he could not have asked for a better start after taking over from the injured Ben Stokes.

For Sri Lanka, Rathnayake impressed on his debut after helping to drag Sri Lanka towards the 200 mark - his tally of 72 is the highest score ever made by a number nine on Test debut. 

Erik ten Hag was left frustrated as Manchester United "gave it away" against a spirited Burnley, who held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils were on course to claim all three points when Antony pounced on Sander Berge's error to open the scoring in the 79th minute, as they looked to close the gap on fifth-place Tottenham to four points. 

However, the hosts could not hold on as Andre Onana was penalised for a foul on Zeki Amdouni, who picked himself up to level from the penalty spot and salvage a point for the visitors three minutes from time.

Ten Hag was made to rue his side's wastefulness as they converted just one of their 27 shots on goal throughout the contest.

"We put ourselves in a winning position and, over long courses of the game, we dominated," he told the BBC. "We played some good football - creating loads of chances - and then to give it away in the end in the final minutes, it's so unnecessary.

"Every team gives up opportunities. But, when it is up to us, it is weird. We created loads of chances as well. We are one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league at this moment. We are creating loads of chances by playing good football.

"We lost control in the second part of the first half when we conceded some chances, but the rest of the game was ours. We were in a winning position, and we gave it away."

Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany saluted the character demonstrated by Burnley, who boosted their Premier League survival hopes by moving to within two points of safety with three games remaining.

"We are where we are in the league for a reason, so not everything can be perfect, but the mentality was perfect - the togetherness, the sacrifice for each other," the Clarets boss said.

"There is tremendous consistency in the club and the approach to each game, even in tough times. We've earned the right to believe and hope."

Burnley boosted their Premier League survival hopes after holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Zeki Amdouni’s calm late penalty moved Burnley within two points of safety with three games remaining.

All the Clarets’ hard work appeared to be in vain when Antony broke the deadlock, but they responded well to ensure a hard-earned share of the spoils.

Burnley remain 19th but are now two points behind 17th-place Nottingham Forest, who host Manchester City on Sunday, while United stay sixth.

Although David Datro Fofana shot straight at Andre Onana inside the opening 30 seconds, United soon established their authority on proceedings with Christian Eriksen curling just wide and Fernandes rattling Arijanet Muric’s right post as they threatened the opening goal.

But the hosts had Onana to thank for keeping Burnley at bay as the first half went on. First, he tipped over Wilson Odobert’s long-range effort, before producing a magnificent reflex save to deny Foster.

Onana kept out Foster again while Alejandro Garnacho fired into the side-netting four minutes before half-time, as both sides returned to their dressing rooms still seeking the breakthrough.

Garnacho continued to carry United’s greatest threat after the break. The Argentine winger shot narrowly wide after a swift counter, before Muric pushed away his powerful volley from a corner.

However, the visitors gifted their opponents the opening goal in the 79th minute, as Antony intercepted Sander Berge’s loose pass before racing away and slotting past Muric.

But there was to be a late twist three minutes from time, when Amdouni coolly rolled home the equaliser from the penalty spot after VAR ruled Onana had fouled the Burnley striker.

Ton up for Fernandes as United stumble

United ended their four-game winless streak when they came from behind to beat Sheffield United in midweek.

However, they have not recorded successive victories since mid-February after Amdouni’s late penalty.

Bruno Fernandes did his best to rally the hosts, becoming the first player this season to create 100 or more chances.

It was in vain however, with Erik ten Hag’s side now having failed to keep a clean sheet in six attempts.

More Old Trafford joy for Kompany

Vincent Kompany won five of his nine Premier League visits to Old Trafford as a player (56 per cent), with only David Silva enjoying a higher success rate among opposing players with eight or more trips (75 per cent).

The Belgian was looking to become the third person to triumph here as a player and manager, after Steve Clarke and Mark Hughes.

While he could not quite achieve that, his side were more than deserving of a point following a spirited display against United.

Now with only one defeat in their last eight games, the Clarets have made themselves difficult to beat at a crucial time in the season, and they will hope it pays dividends in their quest for survival.

Bruno Fernandes said Manchester United's players cannot afford to get annoyed by outside criticism, after he scored twice to fire the Red Devils to a much-needed win over Sheffield United.

Erik ten Hag's team were roundly criticised for their performance in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City, as they surrendered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 before inching through in a penalty shoot-out.

They had also gone four Premier League games without a win (three draws, one defeat) prior to Wednesday's meeting with the rock-bottom Blades, with their hopes of Champions League football all-but over.

They twice trailed as Sheffield United threatened a huge upset, but Fernandes scored twice and supplied an assist as they fought back to claim a 4-2 win.

Asked whether the noise around Sunday's semi-final win had affected the mood at Old Trafford, Fernandes told Sky Sports: "That's part of the job. 

"You can be in a run of games where you win eight or nine in a row, and when you lose one you know you'll be criticised. 

"Being at Manchester United demands winning every game, so it's part of the job. If there is anyone in the dressing room still not used to that, they will get used to it!

"Being a Manchester United player demands being ready to receive as much criticism as praise. We receive praise when we do good things so we can't be annoyed by the criticism.

"When people want to do that, they might have a point. We can think in a different way, but we have to take it in the same way as we take the credit they give us."

Ten Hag's team did look disjointed for long periods on Wednesday, though, and they have now conceded 50 Premier League goals this season.

The Red Devils have now shipped a half-century of goals in two of their last three Premier League campaigns, having done so just once in their previous 29.

Ten Hag, though, was content with most aspects of their performance, saying: "It was a good game for the crowd, they saw four goals and many chances that we created.

"I think we played quite well, we created many more chances, so there's many positives. But also negatives. Conceding two goals from giveaways, that's unacceptable.

"We want to play dynamic, attacking football. That is what we want to see. Since the winter we have created lots of chances and also scored a lot of those chances."

The current Premier League season has become the most goal-laden 20-team campaign in the competition's history, with Harry Maguire the unlikely man to seal 2023-24's place in history.

Maguire scored Manchester United's first equaliser as they twice fought from behind to clinch a 4-2 win over Sheffield United on Wednesday, with Bruno Fernandes netting twice in the second half.

The centre-back's 42nd-minute header was a significant moment, representing the 1,085th goal scored in the Premier League this term.

That is the most ever scored in a season containing 20 teams, since 1995-96.

The 2022-23 season saw 1,084 goals scored, a tally that was reached on the final day to surpass the previous 20-team record of 1,072, set in 2018-19.

It was somewhat fitting for the record-breaking goal to be conceded by Sheffield United, who have certainly played their part in making 2023-24 the most goal-laden season to date. 

The Blades have now shipped 92 goals this term, the most ever conceded in a 38-game Premier League campaign. 

With four games to come, including a rematch with a Newcastle United team that thrashed them 8-0 earlier this campaign, the prospect of Chris Wilder's men bringing up triple figures is a realistic one.

Bruno Fernandes produced a decisive double as Manchester United twice came from behind for a 4-2 win over Sheffield United at Old Trafford, easing the pressure on under-fire boss Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag received fierce criticism after his team surrendered a 3-0 lead in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City, who they beat on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

His team trailed twice on Wednesday, with Jayden Bogle punishing Andre Onana's error to score and Ben Brereton Diaz prodding home the Blades' second, either side of Harry Maguire equalising.

However, Fernandes equalised from the spot in the second half before teeing up Rasmus Hojliund's late finish after another great strike from the Red Devils captain sent his side 3-2 up.

The win takes Ten Hag's side above Newcastle United and into the top six with 53 points, while bottom club Sheffield United stay 10 points adrift of safety.

Just 28 seconds had been played when Diogo Dalot worked Wes Foderingham from range, but if the hosts thought that effort would precipitate an assault on the Blades' goal, they were mistaken.

Alejandro Garnacho was denied by Foderingham after a mazy run, but the Red Devils were largely uninspired as the visitors sat back.

They gifted Sheffield United the lead after 35 minutes as Onana passed straight to Bogle, who side-footed home at the near post.

That sparked Ten Hag's team into life, though, and they were level within seven minutes as Maguire glanced Garnacho's cross home.

Foderingham denied Garnacho with a fine stop on the stroke of half-time, and Sheffield United made that reprieve count within five minutes of the restart, Brereton Diaz pouncing to prod Ben Osborn's cross home.

Yet Chris Wilder's visitors again failed to hold on as Auston Trusty wrestled Maguire to the ground from a corner, allowing Fernandes to blast into the top-left corner from the spot.

Fernandes then blasted home from 25 yards out to send Ten Hag's hosts ahead for the first time, and the midfielder was not done there, teeing up Hojlund to make the points safe with a pinpoint cross from the right.

Fernandes rescues Red Devils

Ahead of Wednesday's game, Manchester United had only won one of their last seven Premier League matches (three draws, three defeats), going winless through the last four of those (three draws, one defeat) – their worst such streak since 2019.

They twice looked on course for a humiliating defeat, but Fernandes led from the front to down the Blades and boost his team's hopes of salvaging Europa League qualification.

He has now scored seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances, netting on each of his last four outings. This is just the second time he has enjoyed a four-match scoring streak with the Red Devils in the competition, having done so under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in February 2021.

Blades on the brink

While Sheffield United can take heart from their performance at Old Trafford, the result does nothing for their slim hopes of remaining among England's elite.

Wilder's men are 10 points from safety with just 12 to play for this season and will be relegated to the Championship if they lose to Newcastle United on Saturday.

The Blades could even see their fate confirmed this weekend with a victory, depending on Nottingham Forest's result against Manchester City on Sunday. 

They have now conceded 92 goals in 34 Premier League matches this term, the most ever conceded in a 38-game season in the competition.

The Football Association has condemned the tragedy chanting heard during Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester United and Liverpool and vowed to liaise with police over the matter.

A significant number of fans in the Stretford End at Old Trafford were heard chanting ‘Murderers’, quickly followed by ‘Always the victims’ around the hour mark, with the singing audible to the live television audience.

The FA said in a statement: “We are aware of the reported tragedy chanting during today’s FA Cup fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool, and we will be liaising with and supporting Greater Manchester Police.

“We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out.

“It is entirely unacceptable and can have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game. It must stop, and we support any club and their fans who try to eradicate this from the terraces.”

Manchester United and Greater Manchester Police have been contacted for comment by the PA news agency.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, believes the development of a world-class stadium for Manchester United could spark the “biggest regeneration project in the north of England that we’ll ever see”.

The Premier League giants announced on Friday that a task force has been formed aimed at exploring options to regenerate the Old Trafford area of the city with a top-class ground at the heart of it.

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe favours a new stadium on adjacent club-owned land rather than redeveloping the current ground and called this is a “once-in-a-century opportunity”.

Lord Coe, the London 2012 chief, was named chair of the ‘Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force’, which also includes former United captain Gary Neville and the city’s mayor.

“From our point of view there’s nothing bigger in world football than the name Manchester United,” Burnham said.

“And if we unlock the full power of this club in terms of its power to regenerate then that’s fantastic for Greater Manchester in terms of jobs, new investment into the city-region.

“If you look at this area investment has gone into Media City, but actually if you look around at the wider area there’s not been a huge amount in recent decades.

“This could be the biggest regeneration project in the north of England that we’ll ever see. It could be that big.

“It depends on the club, though. The club’s got a decision to make about is it refurbished, is it new build.

“Whatever the club decides, we’ll support them in that and in either scenario it’s massive for Greater Manchester.

“But obviously we’re standing behind the club, to make sure that the maximum benefit is achieved for the economy of Greater Manchester.”

Asked if it could be on the scale of what London 2012 did for East London, Burnham said: “It absolutely could be on that scale and it could be more because of this club and the desire of people around the world to be associated in some way with this club.”

Burnham was Old Trafford on Saturday to see his Everton side defeated 2-0 by United and, most importantly, speak up the benefits of this project.

“What I have got to do as part of the task force in the next five, six months working with Lord Coe, Gary and others is give all the supporting information to enable the club to make a decision,” Burnham said. “Is it refurbished or is it a new build?

“In either case there will be some requirement to have some public funds involved because of the train station and there’s a big freight depot right behind Old Trafford, which is an issue as well and that’s something we have got to look at.”

While Burnham accepts funding will be a talking point, he highlighted how taxpayers’ money is frequently used when teams build new stadiums.

“You look at any new-build stadium in the last 20-30 years, there will have been some public funds involved in terms of infrastructure, in supporting development,” he said. “That’s just a fact.

“If you look at the example of West Ham, the Olympic Park, lots of public money has gone in to some developments around the country because of what they can bring to those places.”

Burnham believes the changes would help establish Manchester as the go-to place for elite football, with Milan the only other city boasting two Champions League winners.

“If on the west of Greater Manchester you have United at the heart of a new campus of facilities that links to Media City.

“Then on the side of the city you’ve got Manchester City who continue to build out from the Etihad with a new massive indoor arena going in there. Just think about that.

“No other city in the world would be set up in terms of its football infrastructure. No where would come close to Manchester.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag hailed the defensive discipline of his team despite them once again conceding more than 20 shots in their 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton.

James Tarkowski hacked down Alejandro Garnacho  inside the box 12 minutes in and Bruno Fernandes tucked into the right corner from the resulting spot kick to put United 1-0 to the good.

Garnacho won another penalty in the 34th minute after Ben Godfrey flew in on the Argentinian and this time Fernandes handed the ball to Marcus Rashford who sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way for his seventh goal of the season.

Everton continued to press in the second period but their 23 shots were in vein as United bounced back from two defeats on the spin.

Manchester City had 27 shots at their goal while winning the derby last week, but after allowing a number of chances again today, ten Hag said: “If you see their xG is not that high and ours is much higher.

“It is their gameplan, obviously. We have players who feel comfortable to defend low. But you have to be disciplined and you have to incorporate it very well.

“It was a team performance, especially our back four with the keeper and Casemiro. They have done very well.

“You see the chances, they had some, also I think the way we defended set-plays was very good.

“We were really organised and we were focused – everyone did their job. There was one or two second phases where they we had some opportunities, but all over we did quite well.”

Garnacho went over in the box to win both penalties and was by far United’s best player in another sub-par performance at Old Trafford.

Boss ten Hag expressed his joy of working with the Argentinian but knows there are still vast areas to improve.

He added: “I love to work with Garnacho and many other players in the squad but he is a player who likes a challenge. Brave, confident and our job is to push him to high level but he is doing this. He has high potential.

“When you are young you don’t know what it is to play in a high competitive league and perform every third day.

“You don’t know you have to perform every training session. You need a lot of skills to be the best.”

Everton’s woes in front of goal continued despite their best efforts, including good chances from Abdoulaye Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Dwight McNeil.

The Toffees have scored just 14 open play goals this season and boss Sean Dyche knows his side have to find confidence in front of goal.

He said: “Very frustrating, as you can imagine and we have had a run of that where we have been performing correctly in so many ways.

“The most important thing is the scoreline, that’s the biggest stat and we’ve got on the wrong side of it, we have to work on it.

“I don’t know what teams have come here and had that many efforts on goal and chances but we’ve got to get hurt to score goals as sometimes Brian Clough used to say. That’s what I’m not seeing.

“They are working, the shape is good, the football played is pleasing and so it’s frustrating to not see that come to fruition with scoring more goals because they’re doing a lot right.”

Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford struck from the spot as sloppy Manchester United rode their luck in an unconvincing 2-0 win against relegation-threatened Everton.

Erik ten Hag’s side stuttered on Saturday lunchtime but managed to end a run of back-to-back Premier League defeats and keep their Champions League qualification quest alive.

United struggled for large periods against out-of-form Everton, who had 23 shots but paid the price for twice shooting themselves in the foot in the first half.

James Tarkowski clumsily brought down Alejandro Garnacho after a bright Toffees start, with captain Fernandes converting the resulting spot-kick in front of the Stretford End.

Sean Dyche’s men settled and continued to threaten, only to be punished by a Rashford penalty after Ben Godfrey fouled lively Argentina international Garnacho.

United continued to offer Everton a way back into the match but they failed to capitalise – something you would not expect Liverpool to struggle with in next weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final.

The Toffees began this topsy-turvy encounter on top, but the sleepy hosts still managed a couple of efforts before taking a 12th minute lead at Old Trafford.

Tarkowski caught Garnacho as he cut back and, after a swift VAR check, Fernandes’ hit a spot-kick just out of Jordan Pickford’s reach into the bottom right-hand corner.

Dwight McNeil volleyed narrowly wide as Everton looked to put that disappointment behind them, with United academy graduate James Garner testing Andre Onana before Amadou Onana mishit the follow-up.

McNeil lasered across the face of goal as Everton continued to prove a nuisance, although that effort came shortly after Pickford stopped Fernandes scoring his second.

The United skipper took aim with a 22 yard free-kick that was heading home in front of the Stretford End until a one-handed stop that drew applause around the ground.

But Pickford can only do so much, and Everton were soon made to rue their missed opportunities.

Godfrey’s clumsy attempt to halt Garnacho drive led referee Simon Hooper to point to the spot, with Rashford stepping up to send his England team-mate the wrong way.

Everton were perhaps fortunate not to concede a third penalty before half-time after Vitalii Mykolenko stopped a Garnacho a cutback with an arm.

United, too, walked a fine line in the closing stages of the first half, with Jonny Evans coughing up possession and McNeil seeing a strike blocked.

Play continued in a similarly open, chaotic pattern after the break.

Abdoulaye Doucoure was denied by Andre Onana at his near post in-between Garnacho lashing narrowly over and just failing to cleanly meet a teasing Fernandes cross.

The United skipper saw a low shot tipped around the post by Pickford, who did well to stop United stabbing home during a melee from the corner that followed.

Andre Onana had to deal with pinball in his own box soon after and United just avoided an Everton goal in the 76th minute.

Godfrey’s header was met by a Lewis Dobbin cross-shot that just evaded fellow substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the far post.

Everton continued to knock at the door and United tried to expose the gaps they were leaving, but neither side had the quality to add to the scoreline.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe called the chance to develop a world-class stadium and regenerate the Old Trafford area a “once-in-a-century opportunity” as Lord Coe was named chair of a new joint task force.

The Red Devils will not be moving away from Old Trafford but have options to redevelop the current ground or build a new one on adjacent club-owned land.

New minority owner Ratcliffe recently said redevelopment will cost around £1billion but favoured a new £2billion stadium that would be among the best in the world.

The Ineos chairman recently said he sees no issue with United seeking state support for a new ground and financing will be one aspect of the ‘Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force’, which will explore “the development of a world-class football stadium at the heart of the project” to regenerate the area.

United co-owner Ratcliffe said: “This can be a major regeneration project for an area of Greater Manchester which has played such a key role in British industrial history, but which today requires new investment to thrive again.

“The north-west of England has a greater concentration of major football clubs than anywhere else in the world, yet we don’t have a stadium on the scale of Wembley, the Nou Camp or Bernabeu.

“We will not be able to change that on our own, which is why this task force is so important to help us seize this once-in-a-century opportunity.”

Lord Coe, the London 2012 chief, has been named as chair of a task force comprised of local leaders and national experts, including Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and former United captain Gary Neville.

The Glazer family, who remain majority owners of the Premier League club, were conspicuous by their absence from the press release and list of task force members.

The task force “will assess the feasibility of a new stadium of national significance equipped to host international games and finals, as well as providing a modernised home for Manchester United”.

Lord Coe said: “Throughout my career in sport, I have seen the potential for stadiums to become focal points for strong communities and catalysts for social and economic development.

“That was certainly true of the venues we built in east London for the 2012 Olympics, and we are overdue a project of similar scale and ambition in the north of England.

“I am honoured to have this opportunity to share my experience in support of this tremendously exciting project.”

Ratcliffe met local leaders even before his minority stake received ratification last month to discuss the potential for redevelopment of Old Trafford and the surrounding area.

The Ineos chairman met with Burnham during that period and the Mayor of Greater Manchester has hailed the “bold and exciting vision for the future of Old Trafford and the surrounding area.”

“The development of one of the most iconic stadiums in world football will help attract investment, create jobs, and lead to new opportunities that will not just benefit Trafford but communities across our city-region and beyond,” he said.

“Greater Manchester has been a hive of innovation and creativity for centuries, and sport has played a huge role in shaping our past and present.”

An economic impact study will be commissioned as part of a project that will involve close consultation with fans and local residents.

The task force is expected to make recommendations later this year and Neville is excited to be involved in plans for United’s home and the local area.

“I’m incredibly fortunate to have had the privilege of playing hundreds of games at Old Trafford, and no one can take away those amazing memories,” Neville, who co-owns Hotel Football opposite the stadium, said.

“But Old Trafford has evolved throughout its history and it’s clear we are at a point where it has to change again to ensure that Manchester United has a world-class stadium befitting the world’s greatest club.

“While I want the best for Manchester United, I also want the same for the surrounding community.

“Old Trafford should be a stadium that the whole of Greater Manchester can take pride in, and be a catalyst for sustainable, cohesive growth in an area of the city that has been neglected for too long.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag accused Nottingham Forest of targeting Bruno Fernandes in his side’s FA Cup win at the City Ground and branded criticism of his captain “pathetic”.

The Portugal midfielder overcame a “serious injury” to play his part in United’s 1-0 victory at Forest, setting up Casemiro’s 89th-minute winner from a free-kick.

He was on the receiving end of plenty of robust challenges from Forest throughout the 90 minutes while also being the butt of social media jokes after Saturday’s loss against Fulham where he suffered the problem.

Fulham’s official TikTok account poked fun at him for appearing to feign injury and it got Ten Hag’s back up.

Asked about the severity of Fernandes’ injury, he said: “I don’t want to go into that because you saw that Forest was targeting him, so I don’t tell what he has but it was a serious injury.

“There were many fouls on him. Maybe I am a little bit too tough but when he has the ball they were really tight on him.

“Then I see that serious media criticise him and social media is pathetic and it can’t be.

“He has a serious injury but he continued to play on Saturday and today he also fought to be part of the game and he has a very high pain threshold.

“Last year he did also something similar against Spurs and in the semi-final and it shows his leadership because that expresses his character and that is very good when you are a leader.”

This was far from a classic performance by United, who face Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, but they got the job done and kept hopes of finishing the season with a trophy in tact.

That is not going to be easy, though, as they were handed quarter-final draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford in two and a half weeks.

“There are many good teams in the Premier League, Liverpool at this moment is top but it is a great challenge and we are really looking forward and we like the challenges, it is a great game for us to play.

“But first of all we are now looking forward to Sunday.”

Extra time was looming when Casemiro glanced Fernandes’ delivery past Matt Turner to send United’s travelling contingent wild.

The goal survived a lengthy VAR check as Raphael Varane, who was in an offside possession, blocked a couple of Forest players, but he was ruled not to be interfering in play.

Such has been Forest’s frustration at refereeing decisions in recent weeks, they have appointed Mark Clattenburg to act as a conduit to the PGMOL and he was spotted sat next to Howard Webb.

And this was another decision that went against them but boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who swatted away Ten Hag’s suggestions of targeting Fernandes, did not want to dwell on it.

Nuno said: “I didn’t see clearly the images but speaking with the players they say it is a block and a possible offside. They checked it.

“We have had so many issues in this period with VAR and referees that we try to forget about it and move forward.

“I think it was a good performance, we played good, much better than the previous game, so improvement from that.

“It is frustrating to lose it in the end but I think we played good, football is cruel sometimes and today we are on that side.”